Review of Martyrs (2008) by Kenneth B — 16 May 2016

This was my second time watching Martyrs. The first time around I wasn't particularly moved, however with the remake having recently surfaced I figured it was worth revisiting the original. Martyrs is brutal but the violence isn't cartoonish as it is in films like Human Centipede and A Serbian Film.

It is grounded in a very real setting, ultimately making this a gruelling experience but one with sufficient depth make it stay in the mind after the credits have rolled. For the right reasons too. It is a revenge story told primarily from the perspective of a survivor of severe childhood trauma, however the tone flips about midway through and takes some surprising turns.

It all culminates with one of the most memorable final acts in modern horror.